Allegan General Hospital has eliminated industrial trans fats from its food service programs in a initiative focused on improving patient and community health. This elimination of trans fats includes not only patient meals, but hospital vending machines, Fresh Start Café, and Riverfront Café.
“At Allegan General Hospital, our top priority is providing the safest, highest quality care to all who walk through our doors,” said Anne Giles, Food and Nutrition Manager. “That care extends beyond medical treatment and procedures and includes providing an all-around healthy environment for our patients, their families, friends and hospital staff. The negative physical effects of consuming industrial trans fats are well-recognized and are a contributing factor to the declining health of many Michigan residents. The elimination of these substances is another step that we can take as a health care provider to contribute to a healthier community and a healthier Michigan.”
Industrial trans fats have been linked to negative health effects such as increased levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduced levels of HDL (good) cholesterol while contributing to increased obesity, which is now estimated to account for between 9 and 11 percent of total U.S. health care expenditures. Pediatric and adult obesity rates are on an epidemic rise, and Michigan’s rates are among the worst in the nation.
Snack food manufacturers, fast-food restaurants, the state of California and major cities including New York and Philadelphia have already acted to completely eliminate industrial trans fats in recognition of their damaging health effects.
For more information about Allegan General Hospital’s trans fats elimination initiative, please contact Anne Giles at (269) 686-4251. Allegan General Hospital is a community hospital that focuses on providing exceptional, compassionate and personalized healthcare to the community it serves. Allegan General provides a wide range of healthcare services, including bariatric, surgery, sleep center, emergency, physical rehabilitation and mental health. For more information on the hospital, visit www.aghosp.org.
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